World War I nurse from Patchogue receives military honors years after her death

A Patchogue woman who served as an Army nurse during World War I received an honor that's decades overdue.
Caroline Lenora Ehmann received the firing of rifles and the folding of the American flag at her final resting place at Cedar Grove Cemetery.
For her family and friends, it was something 40 years in the making.
"I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen," said Barbara Ross, niece of Lenora Ehmann.
Ross says her aunt died in February 1981. Cold, snowy weather forced the cancellation of a formal military service. Plans to reschedule the military honors never panned out.
Ross' mission to honor her aunt picked up two years ago when her brother George died. While preparing for the service, the director of Ruland Funeral Home found paperwork proving Lenora Ehmann's service in World War I in his files.
The documents helped Ross convince the Department of Veteran Affairs to approve Thursday's service, providing military honors for her aunt's service to the country.
"It's important to remember everyone who gave their support to keeping our men safe," Ross says. "And that was her thing. To do what she could to keep them safe and to heal them."